Join Aaron, Richard, and Chase as they dive into the perils of season 2 of Arcane. Beast-men, prison breaks, godly machines, and Aaron's theft of Chase's intellectual property are all in store.
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[00:00:00] We are Teresa and Nemo and that's why we have to Shopify.
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[00:00:27] And welcome back to the Radioactive Ramblings Podcast. I'm one of your hosts, Chase.
[00:00:55] And I'm one of your other hosts, Aaron.
[00:00:58] And I'm your third and final host, Richard. I was not here last time, but I'm happy to be here.
[00:01:03] Yeah, we missed you on the last podcast.
[00:01:07] Before we get into things, we have some news for our viewers.
[00:01:11] We have started a Patreon where we are currently offering a few different options.
[00:01:17] We plan on making new tiers, offering some exclusive memberships in the future, but we'll have some more info about that in the outro and in the show notes.
[00:01:28] So without further ado, Chase, you want to let people know what we're going to be covering today?
[00:01:33] Yeah, I'm sure as you saw in the title of today's podcast, we're covering act two of season two of the Netflix original series Arcade by the company Riot Games.
[00:01:45] Yeah, it's pretty good, honestly. I thought act two was good. I think that act three is going to be better.
[00:01:52] But, you know, it was strong. One thing, though, we wanted to get through before we started up is we just want to make sure everyone knows there's going to be spoilers all the way through to the end of act two of season two.
[00:02:06] So if you if you care, if you haven't watched, obviously just come back to us later.
[00:02:12] It'll it'll still be there. You know, we're not we're not going to get taken down, I promise.
[00:02:17] And one other thing we want to talk about before we get started is just how to, you know, how to contact us.
[00:02:23] The first of which is our email, which is radioactive at the lorehounds dot com.
[00:02:27] We also have a channel set up in the or in the lorehounds discord server for radioactive ramblings where you can send us a message or chat about the show.
[00:02:36] And we also have a contact form where you could leave us a message or you could leave us a voicemail at the lorehounds dot com.
[00:02:45] And we do now have a blue sky account, which is radioactive one forty one.
[00:02:51] That's all of our ways. Currently, if we add any more, we'll let you guys know.
[00:02:55] And we'd appreciate a rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever else you listen to us.
[00:03:02] It helps other listeners like you find us.
[00:03:06] Thank you, Richard.
[00:03:07] Thank you, Richard.
[00:03:08] How is everyone doing today on this fine Sunday morning?
[00:03:13] You know what? I had a beautiful morning outside.
[00:03:19] Yeah, it is very nice.
[00:03:21] It's about 30 degrees warmer here today than it was yesterday in beautiful Washington, D.C.
[00:03:28] So I can't complain about that weather.
[00:03:30] Yeah, I'm freezing.
[00:03:32] I'm freezing, Aaron.
[00:03:34] All right.
[00:03:34] That's how we were feeling yesterday and the day before.
[00:03:38] I've had to dig my car out of the snow the last couple of days, though.
[00:03:42] Before we get started on any of our own thoughts, let's do a quick refresher of Act Two before we get into it.
[00:03:49] So, in Act Two of Season Two, the narrative intensifies as personal vendettas and political machinations intertwine, leading to profound consequences for both Piltover and Zaun.
[00:04:02] The act delves deeply into the fraught relationship between Vi and Jinx.
[00:04:09] Their reunion is marked by emotional turmoil as they grapple with their shared past and the divergent paths that they've taken.
[00:04:17] This confrontation forces both sisters to confront their inner demons and the lingering effects of their childhood traumas.
[00:04:26] Caitlyn, now aligned with Ambessa Medarda, faces moral dilemmas as she navigates her role in enforcing martial law in Piltover.
[00:04:33] Her quest for justice becomes increasingly complex, leading her to question her alliances and the true meaning of duty.
[00:04:42] Victor's sanctuary in Zaun becomes a focal point of conflict.
[00:04:46] As he attempts to heal and uplift the Undercity's residents, his efforts are threatened by external forces culminating in a tragic assault that tests his ideals and the resilience of his followers.
[00:05:00] The enigmatic figure Warwick, a human-wolf hybrid created by Singed, emerges as a formidable presence.
[00:05:07] His existence adds a layer of complexity to the unfolding events, especially as his true identity and connection to key characters are gradually unveiled.
[00:05:17] The act culminates in a high-stakes confrontation at Victor's sanctuary,
[00:05:22] Ambessa Medarda leads an assault on the commune, aiming to capture Victor and exploit his powers for Piltover's advantage.
[00:05:31] Amidst the chaos, Jinx and Vi face Warwick, leading to a tragic sequence where Isha sacrifices herself to protect them,
[00:05:40] leaving Jinx devastated and questioning her path forward.
[00:05:44] I just want to say, no new characters of great importance are really introduced in this series from here on out.
[00:05:53] So, we're not really including as in-depth character descriptions as we were in previous episodes.
[00:06:02] We're going to do more off-the-cuff, just talk about some interesting moments from the characters or some characters that did something that we found interesting or noteworthy.
[00:06:14] Yeah, if you want to hear our descriptions of the characters, we have major character descriptions in our Season 1 recap,
[00:06:21] and then our Season 2 Act 1 review for some of the newer characters or characters that gain prominence later in the series.
[00:06:30] But at this point, we've got our cast of characters, everything is kind of set up,
[00:06:35] and we didn't feel like there was much point in rehashing all of that.
[00:06:40] So, we're going to jump straight into some of our thoughts on the characters and then jump into interesting moments and all that.
[00:06:48] Before we get going, though, I have a little bit of a hot take.
[00:06:51] I don't know if it's actually that hot of a take, but I feel like this act, while still really good, it's the weakest in the entire series.
[00:07:02] No way you stole my thunder on that.
[00:07:04] I literally talked to you about that earlier today.
[00:07:06] You're actually evil.
[00:07:08] I have that in my notes to talk about later.
[00:07:10] I have that in my notes, too.
[00:07:12] I also have that in my notes, too.
[00:07:14] Bro, I've looked before you, you freakazoid.
[00:07:17] You're actually disgusting.
[00:07:19] Holy crap, you little worm.
[00:07:22] Bro stole my thunder on that.
[00:07:24] You're actually a piece of nookess.
[00:07:28] Bro took my hot take and turned it into a lukewarm take by copying it word for word.
[00:07:35] We all tend to agree on stuff like this.
[00:07:37] So, maybe it's not a hot take for the three of us, but it's a hot take for our listeners, alright?
[00:07:41] I think that with how...
[00:07:44] I'll talk more about it later.
[00:07:47] Unless you guys want to go into depth about it now.
[00:07:51] We can talk about it now.
[00:07:52] Okay, I think with the justification I'm going to give for it, I don't think it's a hot take.
[00:07:58] I think that season two has a lot of very high focal point moments that are very like, this is like peak cinema.
[00:08:09] Like, this is fire.
[00:08:11] Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Silco, like Vander, Vi, and Powder Mother flashback scene is in this act.
[00:08:19] It was episode three, I think, yeah.
[00:08:23] Are you sure?
[00:08:24] Maybe, or episode three of the act, that's my bad.
[00:08:27] Episode six.
[00:08:27] Okay, okay, okay.
[00:08:29] Yeah, I believe that's in there.
[00:08:31] Obviously the Isha scene, which I want to talk about later.
[00:08:34] Yeah.
[00:08:34] The whole Isha character buildup intensifies so greatly in this act.
[00:08:40] I think that's a great high of this act.
[00:08:43] I think we have, I mean Warwick, come on.
[00:08:48] Vander, yeah, Vander slash Warwick.
[00:08:51] That's a really high focal point of the act.
[00:08:53] But I do think Vi's character feels a little weaker in this act than a lot of the other acts.
[00:09:00] I think, I mean, jinx in this act is fire.
[00:09:03] Don't get me wrong.
[00:09:04] That's a really high point of the act for sure.
[00:09:06] I think Caitlyn's character feels a little weak this act too.
[00:09:10] Not like weak, like physically or like mentally.
[00:09:14] I just mean like from a writing standpoint compared to her other appearances.
[00:09:19] Same with Vi when I was talking about that.
[00:09:21] But I think kind of like how they do the waiting to show us what happened to Jace in the hex core kind of makes his character feel a little, like obviously the mystery is fun and enjoyable.
[00:09:35] But it feels a little empty for sure.
[00:09:39] It feels like it came out of nowhere.
[00:09:41] Yeah, exactly.
[00:09:42] I think that from like a narrative standpoint and truly like character writing standpoint, this is the weaker of the two acts that we've seen from this season so far.
[00:09:54] Which is not in any way a bash of the act because I mean, even though I think it's weaker, I still think it stands head and shoulders above 99.9% of other media.
[00:10:05] I have a quick note for the listeners, just in case anyone is confused.
[00:10:10] We're going to be referring to the monster that Vander becomes as Warwick.
[00:10:15] I don't think that they ever actually refer to him as Warwick in the series.
[00:10:19] I'll explain it.
[00:10:20] Yeah, sorry.
[00:10:21] I wrote it in the notes as Warwick because I am a League of Legends degenerate.
[00:10:25] I play the game.
[00:10:26] Vander, the monster that Singe turns Vander into in the video game is, his name is Warwick.
[00:10:33] Yeah, his lore has been in the game forever.
[00:10:35] Ever since season one of Arcane, it's been theorized that Vander was going to become Warwick.
[00:10:42] So you as a League of Legends player in the first season, you didn't know that he was going to become Warwick.
[00:10:47] I'm not gonna lie.
[00:10:48] I was theorizing it because I started playing League of Legends because of Arcane.
[00:10:53] So like I watched like the first two episodes and then my friends who had already been playing the game since like elementary and middle school were like,
[00:11:00] come on, you're watching the show, might as well play the game.
[00:11:03] So I was like, fine, like I'll play it.
[00:11:05] And then I saw the like Vander scene and I was like, huh?
[00:11:10] Like this is like, I don't know.
[00:11:12] And then I was like talking to my friend about it and he was like, yeah, I'm pretty sure he just becomes Warwick.
[00:11:18] And I was like, oh, okay.
[00:11:19] So like I knew from like the very beginning because I kind of got spoiled on it.
[00:11:25] But I feel like when watching season two, it's fairly obvious for the most part that Vander is the monster.
[00:11:33] I feel like it's a little bit of a missed opportunity that they didn't say that.
[00:11:38] Like they didn't have singed.
[00:11:40] Call him Warwick or something.
[00:11:42] That would have been such an easy way for them to fit it in.
[00:11:45] I mean, it's already an Easter egg because like in the video game.
[00:11:50] Okay.
[00:11:50] So actually his, the like monster design, Vander's like full on monster design in the show is different from his video game design.
[00:11:59] Like the giant machine on his back is in the video game.
[00:12:02] His like, I think one of his hands with the metal claws in the video game, but like his hind legs are different.
[00:12:09] In the video game, he has a tail and his, and his face is more like a wolf.
[00:12:13] Right.
[00:12:15] Yeah.
[00:12:16] Everyone who knows what Warwick is knows that that's Warwick.
[00:12:22] Okay.
[00:12:23] So like, I think it's already like a good enough Easter egg.
[00:12:26] I do think it would have been fun for him to call him Warwick, but I understand why he doesn't.
[00:12:33] Yeah.
[00:12:33] I have a, one of my hated moments of this season is revolving around Warwick and Singe.
[00:12:40] Hated moments.
[00:12:42] Hated moments.
[00:12:43] Like hated because you, like, like you disliked it from like a, I hated, I thought it was a stupid scene.
[00:12:52] Yeah.
[00:12:52] I thought it was really stupid and it took me out.
[00:12:55] Was it because he stayed in the cage?
[00:12:58] Yes.
[00:12:59] Yes.
[00:12:59] That's exactly what it was.
[00:13:00] When Warwick comes to do, nevermind.
[00:13:02] I'll talk about it later.
[00:13:03] I was going to bring that up later too.
[00:13:06] Yeah.
[00:13:07] Richard, do you have any hot takes before we get into our little character?
[00:13:12] I think we should, no, I think we should talk about this.
[00:13:13] I think this is a hot take, but yeah.
[00:13:16] Okay.
[00:13:16] Please.
[00:13:17] I, I really don't have anything else because we, we kind of agreed on this one, man.
[00:13:21] I got nothing else to say, unfortunately, not to be that guy.
[00:13:27] Chase, do you want to get into why it bothered you first or do you want me to?
[00:13:31] Yeah.
[00:13:32] And then I'll also at the end, I'll pinch my nose and do nerd voice for devil's advocate
[00:13:36] because I do, I think there's a, like, I think there might be reasoning for it, but
[00:13:42] I still think it's stupid.
[00:13:43] Um, so I think he didn't do it because he purposefully wanted to, I don't know, get into
[00:13:53] contact with Piltover Elite in order to get access to Hextech somehow.
[00:14:00] I don't know.
[00:14:02] I don't know how he could predict that from these events.
[00:14:05] I don't know how.
[00:14:07] Sorry, I didn't do nerd voice for the devil's advocate.
[00:14:10] It doesn't really make sense from a narrative standpoint at all because it's not like he
[00:14:15] was a known criminal.
[00:14:16] Yeah.
[00:14:16] I don't think he's been in prison before.
[00:14:18] There was no hard evidence that he made shimmer.
[00:14:21] The only background they had on him was he used to be a brilliant alchemist who worked
[00:14:26] with Heimerdinger in the past who just disappeared out of nowhere for some reason.
[00:14:29] He most, like, he knew Victor.
[00:14:32] He, Victor trusted him enough to, like, go and seek help from him, like, when he, like,
[00:14:38] was dying.
[00:14:39] So, like, I mean, obviously it was his last resort.
[00:14:42] But, like, I'm sure he could have worked his way into Hextech some other way than, like,
[00:14:48] being like, I'm gonna create a monster and then purposefully get locked up in prison and
[00:14:55] have the Piltover Elite get interested in turning it into a weapon of their, I don't know.
[00:15:01] It feels really stupid.
[00:15:03] I still think it would make more sense if he got Vander or, like, I don't know, somehow.
[00:15:09] I mean, oh, wait.
[00:15:13] Okay, thinking about it now, maybe he was planning on escaping with Warwick slash Vander, but because
[00:15:21] of Jinx being there and, like, being able to reach Vander inside of Warwick, that's why he
[00:15:28] wasn't able to.
[00:15:30] Okay.
[00:15:31] So, I don't think that that's the reason why.
[00:15:35] I think that it was just kind of weird writing.
[00:15:39] I, when I was watching this scene, especially when I went back, because I was confused and
[00:15:46] I was like, did I miss something?
[00:15:47] So, I did go back and actually watch the whole episode again.
[00:15:54] And as Singed is walking into the prison or being transported to the prison with Isha,
[00:16:00] he goes, oh, don't worry, we won't be here long.
[00:16:03] And that's implying that he's going to try and do the prison break with Isha.
[00:16:07] Whatever.
[00:16:08] I understand your point about the potential that maybe when Vander saw through and had
[00:16:16] that moment where he snapped back to reality and a little bit of the Vander came through.
[00:16:21] Oh, my God.
[00:16:21] You don't understand.
[00:16:22] I almost just went on an Eminem rap right there.
[00:16:25] Holy shit.
[00:16:26] Sorry.
[00:16:27] Keep going.
[00:16:28] Yeah.
[00:16:29] I just don't see that because it's not like Warwick had that moment where he snapped back
[00:16:36] to reality and then went with Jinx and Vi and the rest of them.
[00:16:42] He was still on his beast rampage.
[00:16:45] So I, I don't, it just didn't make enough sense to me.
[00:16:49] It felt very hand wavy and it just felt like the writers needed some sort of reason for Singed
[00:16:54] to stay in the prison so that he could come into contact with Caitlin and Ambessa and start
[00:17:01] working for them.
[00:17:02] Okay.
[00:17:02] Cause what I was going to say before I had my like epiphany, it still would have made
[00:17:07] more sense for him to escape with the beast, them to hunt down the beast, find Singed and
[00:17:13] not find Warwick and him like they'll play his like, I'll help you if you help me card.
[00:17:20] Yeah.
[00:17:21] That would have been so much better.
[00:17:22] That I think that would have been better too, rather than the like get tortured.
[00:17:27] And then he's like, you know what, actually I'll still help you moment.
[00:17:30] Um, no, I still think it's possible.
[00:17:33] That's their intention.
[00:17:34] I think it's narratively implied that Savika and Isha like obviously escaped because Jinx
[00:17:39] makes a distraction for them fighting Warwick.
[00:17:42] I think it's narratively implied that Warwick takes Jinx with him for like part of the trip.
[00:17:50] Yeah.
[00:17:51] Because remember she was able to like track him down to the tunnels.
[00:17:56] Mm-hmm.
[00:17:57] I liked that part.
[00:17:58] I did like them finding Warwick in the tunnels.
[00:18:00] I felt that him being in the mines was a really good choice for him to run back there to this
[00:18:06] place where he has a lot of memories and that's really significant to him.
[00:18:09] I think that if my like theory is correct and that's the message you're trying to get across,
[00:18:18] that's the least dumb reality of that situation.
[00:18:22] I still think it's worse than if Singe just escaped with Warwick.
[00:18:28] And because of that, Jinx, Savika, and Isha are and everyone else, or not and everyone else,
[00:18:34] but Savika, Isha, and Jinx are able to escape because of the chaos and that they just track
[00:18:40] fucking Singe down and Warwick has escaped from him though and he helps them.
[00:18:45] The other fucking bullshit where he gets, he stays in his cage and gets captured still.
[00:18:50] Yeah.
[00:18:51] I actually had another hot take, but before I get into that, Richard, do you have anything
[00:18:57] you wanted to add just so that I don't want to like dominate the conversation?
[00:19:02] No, you're good.
[00:19:03] I really just don't have a lot to say on this.
[00:19:06] It's nothing, I don't know.
[00:19:07] We just happen to have a lot of the same thoughts, so I'm kind of, I kind of don't have much to
[00:19:13] say.
[00:19:13] Yeah, I guess you can just leave now, right?
[00:19:17] All right.
[00:19:19] Yeah, yeah.
[00:19:20] I'm team killing you in the forest tonight.
[00:19:23] I'm going to tear down the walls.
[00:19:26] No, no, please don't.
[00:19:28] Anyways, my other hot take, this is another thing that I really didn't like about
[00:19:32] not even specifically this part, but about this season in general.
[00:19:37] I think that Jinx's transformation into a symbol for Zahn feels really forced.
[00:19:44] I feel like before Silco's death, she was this figure in Zahn that was kind of hated and
[00:19:53] reviled.
[00:19:54] And everyone was either afraid of her or thought she was crazy.
[00:19:59] And then after the whole blowing up of the Piltover Council and all of the colorful smoke bombs across
[00:20:07] the city, she becomes this symbol.
[00:20:09] And I just, I wasn't buying it.
[00:20:12] I didn't think it, it didn't make sense for me.
[00:20:14] Really?
[00:20:15] Yeah, I didn't, I didn't think that, it didn't work for me personally.
[00:20:18] I could see.
[00:20:18] I mean, she like, obviously she was like notorious.
[00:20:22] At the same time, like, so is literally like every other chem baron, right?
[00:20:27] Like, Silco caused fucking like the shimmer crisis and is like constantly fucking murdering
[00:20:36] people and getting people locked up and shit.
[00:20:38] I don't like, I, I don't know.
[00:20:40] I just think it's like, people are desperate in Zahn and they see like one, one person like
[00:20:48] fighting the power and they're able to rally behind that.
[00:20:51] Like, it's not necessarily about the person, it's more about the message.
[00:20:55] Yeah, I, I don't hate the idea of people taking what she did and using it as a rallying cry.
[00:21:02] It's the fact that all of these people are like dyeing their hair to look more like her
[00:21:08] and creating this almost jinx doppelganger coalition or whatever.
[00:21:14] It just, that part of it didn't quite make sense to me when they do the prison break and
[00:21:18] all of them are coming out and they're all just jinx copycats.
[00:21:22] I was, I thought that it was a little bit goofy.
[00:21:25] It didn't quite work for me.
[00:21:26] I think I can totally see how it would work for some people and that it would, it wouldn't
[00:21:33] be a bad thing.
[00:21:34] But for me personally, I wasn't really buying it.
[00:21:38] I get that.
[00:21:39] But I think like, as like trying to see from the point of view as someone who's like, as
[00:21:45] the characters in the show, you don't like jinx prior to the thing, but it's like she
[00:21:50] represents this thing.
[00:21:51] And then dyeing your hair to be like her is not about like actually being like her.
[00:21:57] I think the message is more just like, it's like, it's a symbol, right?
[00:22:01] Yeah.
[00:22:02] It's not necessarily because it's like, I want to be like jinx or I want to be jinx.
[00:22:08] It's because I support what this means and this represents.
[00:22:13] And that like, also like imagine you're literally like at a fucking peaceful protest.
[00:22:20] You're gathering, trying to do shit.
[00:22:22] You get fucking assaulted by police officers locked up and then jinx saves you from like
[00:22:28] rescues you from prison.
[00:22:29] Like I'd be like, holy shit, like my savior.
[00:22:32] What the hell?
[00:22:33] Yeah.
[00:22:34] The other part of it that sort of tipped me back towards maybe this works a little bit
[00:22:38] is when Isha is running around doing all of the jinx copycat stuff to help people that
[00:22:44] felt like maybe it could be justification.
[00:22:46] Yeah.
[00:22:47] I think that's part of it too, for sure.
[00:22:49] Richard, did this work for you or were you in a similar boat to me?
[00:22:53] I'm in a similar boat with you, but with you, bud.
[00:22:56] Didn't quite work for you either.
[00:22:58] Didn't work for me.
[00:22:59] I saw the, like, I see the idea.
[00:23:02] It just didn't work for me personally.
[00:23:04] Yeah.
[00:23:04] Listeners, if you have any thoughts on this, please let us know because I'm really interested
[00:23:08] to see it.
[00:23:10] Yeah.
[00:23:10] If you agree with Aaron and you're on the wrong side of history, let us know.
[00:23:14] No, because this is one where I can totally see it working for, for people.
[00:23:18] Like I, I see why you would like it, but I just personally didn't.
[00:23:23] So if you disagree with me and want to tell me why, please do.
[00:23:27] But anyways, does anyone have any final, like, hot takes before we get into our next section
[00:23:34] here?
[00:23:34] Uh, no, I'm ready to talk about our interesting moments and such.
[00:23:39] Chase, you want to start us off with your interesting moments?
[00:23:42] At the end of episode six, it seems like Jace has killed Victor.
[00:23:49] When he shoots him in the chest with this fucking, like, corrupted hammer.
[00:23:56] That threw me for a fucking loop, man.
[00:23:58] I wasn't expecting that.
[00:23:59] I was like, hold, I did not expect him to kill him or shoot him.
[00:24:03] Nah, John on the ground.
[00:24:05] Like, okay, well, I mean, I've seen the show, so I know the outcome.
[00:24:09] But like, when I had watched it, I didn't know if he was dead, dead for sure.
[00:24:14] I was like, damn, did he actually just kill him?
[00:24:16] Like, what the fuck?
[00:24:17] Yeah.
[00:24:18] Isha posing as Jinx and basically, like, rallying the movement was really interesting to me.
[00:24:25] I thought that was a really cool moment for the show.
[00:24:29] Like, at first, when they're at the, like, checkpoint and Isha's wearing the hood and sets
[00:24:34] off the, like, paint explosive grenades so all the people can, like, get past the guards.
[00:24:41] I thought that was really cool.
[00:24:43] When there's, like, the discord among the gathering that Savika started and Isha lights the, like,
[00:24:49] blue flare.
[00:24:49] I thought that was really cool.
[00:24:52] Uh, one thing about the protest scene that I also really liked is I'm a big fan of the
[00:24:59] statue of Vander that they have.
[00:25:01] The fact that he was such an important figure for the people of the Underskate.
[00:25:05] The fact that it has, like, no graffiti, like, no, like, it's not fucked up.
[00:25:09] Yeah, it has a bit of face, really.
[00:25:11] It really goes to show the respect that people have for Vander.
[00:25:16] Yeah, Vander was goaded.
[00:25:18] I agree.
[00:25:19] Um, Richard, what are some of your interesting moments that you took note of in this season?
[00:25:26] I thought that Medardo working with Sinjard was really, really interesting.
[00:25:30] I just, I don't know.
[00:25:32] I expected it, but I didn't, at the same time, I didn't expect him to want to play ball.
[00:25:36] I also thought he was going to be like, fuck off.
[00:25:39] Did you get that vibe?
[00:25:39] Um, yeah, I didn't think that he was going to go with, uh, Ambessa.
[00:25:45] But I did, I really like Ambessa's characterization in this season.
[00:25:50] I, I know I keep saying that I like this stuff revolving around Ambessa, but she really is such
[00:25:54] a well-written character with realistic flaws.
[00:25:57] And once again, we see with her working with Sinjard, we get that underhandedness of her
[00:26:03] going around Caitlin a little bit and also funding this project that is clearly for the
[00:26:12] sake of her power that has potential to be really dangerous.
[00:26:15] And she just doesn't care.
[00:26:16] So I think it's great writing on the part of Ambessa.
[00:26:20] Yeah.
[00:26:21] I think she's very interesting to see, like in the politics of Piltover for sure.
[00:26:26] I, I felt good.
[00:26:27] Me too.
[00:26:27] And then the other thing I had was just, I, I thought that Vi, you know, kind of going
[00:26:32] on off the deep end fighting in the underground, like in the pits, it was just, I don't know.
[00:26:37] I like characters kind of deal with that.
[00:26:40] I don't know that reaction to stuff that happened to them.
[00:26:44] I don't know.
[00:26:45] No.
[00:26:45] Yeah.
[00:26:46] Always.
[00:26:46] It was really, it was a good look into her mental state, I think.
[00:26:52] Yeah.
[00:26:53] Emo.
[00:26:54] Yeah.
[00:26:55] I folk with the black hair too.
[00:26:56] In season one, I was like, wow, she's really emo.
[00:26:59] And Chase was like, just you wait.
[00:27:03] Yeah.
[00:27:04] She got the full emo cut.
[00:27:05] She's got it like over the one eye.
[00:27:07] Yeah.
[00:27:08] Sometimes it's just like me for real.
[00:27:11] Oh, is that so?
[00:27:12] Just like you?
[00:27:14] Nah, I would never dye my hair.
[00:27:17] The first thing that I kind of took note of here was, I really liked the moment where
[00:27:25] Isha sacrifices herself for Jinx.
[00:27:28] But one thing I wonder, did Isha know that she was sacrificing herself or did she think
[00:27:35] that she was just doing something kind of dangerous?
[00:27:37] No, she did.
[00:27:38] For sure.
[00:27:39] I think that's the complete implication of the scene.
[00:27:42] Okay.
[00:27:43] Yeah.
[00:27:44] I think that's my interpretation of it, at least.
[00:27:48] She's overcharging Jinx's gun and just putting more of the little Hextech balls in there.
[00:27:55] I don't remember what they're called.
[00:27:58] They're just called like gemstones, I think.
[00:28:01] Okay.
[00:28:02] She's putting more of the Hextech gemstones in there and the gun is just getting more and
[00:28:06] more charged up and Jinx tries to stop it.
[00:28:09] You could feel that Jinx was really losing her heart almost.
[00:28:13] Isha was such an integral part of what Jinx's character had become in this season and the
[00:28:20] development and growth that she's found for herself into more of a stable person who has
[00:28:26] something to live for now.
[00:28:28] And her losing that right at the time that she's getting her sister back, it just felt
[00:28:35] like so heartbreaking for her to...
[00:28:38] She just can't catch a break ever in her life.
[00:28:41] And you really feel for her in that moment.
[00:28:45] Yeah.
[00:28:46] I kind of want to talk about this.
[00:28:48] I think I mentioned it a little bit in our last episode, Aaron, where I was talking about
[00:28:54] how I was angry that I saw people talking about Isha and being like, disappointing this character
[00:28:59] is just a plot device.
[00:29:01] Like...
[00:29:02] Yeah, I hate that.
[00:29:03] That really pisses me off because it's like...
[00:29:06] I feel like if we're going to simplify Isha to a plot device, then literally every
[00:29:11] character who isn't like Jinx, Echo, and Victor and Jace are like plot devices.
[00:29:20] Like, I don't know.
[00:29:21] I just think...
[00:29:23] I think that's like such like a boring way to interpret the story and enjoy it.
[00:29:31] You're like, every character who doesn't make it to the end is a plot device.
[00:29:35] I don't know.
[00:29:36] Yeah.
[00:29:36] And I wonder if something...
[00:29:39] I wonder if part of the reason why people are saying that is because she doesn't speak,
[00:29:44] which I feel if that's part of the reason, which I've seen that taken online.
[00:29:48] No!
[00:29:49] That pissed me off.
[00:29:50] Yeah, I saw that.
[00:29:51] Are we being for real right now?
[00:29:53] It's just...
[00:29:53] It's so offensive and so like reductive towards that character to see that kind of...
[00:30:00] It's reductive towards mute people in general.
[00:30:03] It's like, what do you like...
[00:30:04] Just because she doesn't speak doesn't mean she doesn't convey or emote.
[00:30:09] What are we talking about?
[00:30:11] This is such an unreasonable take.
[00:30:13] She was one of my favorite characters in this season.
[00:30:17] Yeah, top three for sure.
[00:30:17] And I felt that her death was so impactful and her character was so well written.
[00:30:22] It's like, what?
[00:30:23] Like, I watched that and I was like, fuck it.
[00:30:25] The first go around I watched that, I was like in bed, like verge of tears.
[00:30:30] I was like, there's no way.
[00:30:31] This is so sad.
[00:30:33] I know.
[00:30:34] They did such a good job to make her such an endearing character.
[00:30:38] She...
[00:30:38] You can just tell that she's such a genuinely good person and she sees the good in Jinx and
[00:30:44] I don't know.
[00:30:45] I just loved her.
[00:30:46] I feel like we see her influence on Jinx for more than just after she dies or more
[00:30:52] than just like up to the point where she dies.
[00:30:55] Yeah.
[00:30:56] I don't know.
[00:30:57] I think it's such a un-nuanced way of interpreting Isha and Jinx's relationship.
[00:31:06] Yeah.
[00:31:07] I commend the writers on Isha's character and I think that the discourse around her in some
[00:31:14] online spaces is just...
[00:31:16] Deplorable.
[00:31:18] Deplorable.
[00:31:18] Exactly.
[00:31:19] Yeah.
[00:31:20] I think a lot of discourse of characters online though is deplorable.
[00:31:25] Let's be real for a minute.
[00:31:27] Yeah.
[00:31:28] I think that she was great.
[00:31:30] She was obviously a massive catalyst for Jinx to transform.
[00:31:33] It's like, obviously she does move the plot along, but like so does every important character
[00:31:39] in the fucking show does.
[00:31:41] That's just how a story works.
[00:31:44] The characters move the plot forward.
[00:31:46] So...
[00:31:46] I don't...
[00:31:48] I don't know.
[00:31:48] I feel like people forget every character is a plot device.
[00:31:53] That doesn't mean that's all that they are.
[00:31:55] Yeah.
[00:31:56] You could easily say the same thing about...
[00:31:59] You could say, oh, Ambessa is just moving Mel and Caitlin's plot forward and it's like
[00:32:05] she's doing that, but she is a character in her own right and she has so much going on
[00:32:09] for...
[00:32:10] I don't...
[00:32:10] I don't want to spend too long on this.
[00:32:12] Are we calling Vander Season 1 a plot device?
[00:32:15] Like, come on.
[00:32:16] Yeah.
[00:32:16] Guys, Vi is just a plot device because the story needs a fucking main character.
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[00:32:53] Like, when you break it down, you can make anyone a plot device and argue them.
[00:32:57] Like, oh my God, me when I'm experiencing a story and there's parts of a story in it.
[00:33:04] Like, oh my God, how dare they?
[00:33:05] My other interesting moment that I had, we already talked about this ad nauseum, so I
[00:33:09] don't want to go into it for too long, but yeah.
[00:33:13] Why the fuck did Singed not leave during Warwick's prison break?
[00:33:17] That just pissed me off.
[00:33:19] Dude, he's just silly.
[00:33:21] He's just a silly little guy.
[00:33:22] I think that that was definitely a scene that they did not work as hard on.
[00:33:28] Yeah.
[00:33:30] That was a plot line that they did not work as hard.
[00:33:33] That was a plot device right there.
[00:33:35] Yeah.
[00:33:36] I will also say that having seen Act 3, this will be something I talk about more in our
[00:33:43] next episode, but the part where Jace shoots Victor by the end of Act 3 felt really weird
[00:33:52] in retrospect.
[00:33:55] Oh.
[00:33:56] But I won't, I won't, like.
[00:33:58] I disagree with you on that, but we'll talk about that later.
[00:34:01] Yeah, we can talk about that later.
[00:34:03] Should we get into some art or does anyone have a final interesting moment to add?
[00:34:08] No, I think we can get into some art.
[00:34:11] Yeah, art time.
[00:34:12] You guys want me to start off with that?
[00:34:14] Yeah.
[00:34:15] Alright.
[00:34:15] One thing I really liked was the design of Victor's Commune.
[00:34:19] All of the little spherical huts that kind of looked like they were based off of runes and
[00:34:26] Hextech stuff and Victor's own glorious evolution.
[00:34:31] It was just, it was a really cool visualization and it felt so unique of a setting or it felt
[00:34:40] like a unique setting in this world where in the Undercity we typically have this steampunk,
[00:34:46] cyberpunk type of vibe going on.
[00:34:49] And then in the actual city of Piltover, you have this very decadent urban metropolis that
[00:34:57] has so much going on.
[00:34:59] And seeing this quiet little town where people are just kind of living in this almost hive
[00:35:06] mind situation.
[00:35:07] I thought it was super interesting and unique in the visual visuals of the story.
[00:35:13] It reminded me a little bit of Echo's tree community with how like quiet and peaceful
[00:35:20] it was.
[00:35:21] It felt like a really intentional two sides of the same coin situation for the Undercity
[00:35:29] with those two places.
[00:35:31] Yeah, I would agree.
[00:35:32] Another thing that I really loved about the art, the design for Warwick was so incredible.
[00:35:39] The way that he was drawn and visualized where you can see both the beast and you can still
[00:35:46] sort of see Vander inside.
[00:35:47] You can see in his face that he's still got some of that Vander in him.
[00:35:52] That was done incredibly in my opinion.
[00:35:55] And especially seeing...
[00:35:57] I went and looked up what Warwick looks like in the games.
[00:36:00] And I think that the arcane design is an improvement, personally.
[00:36:03] Yeah, I'm waiting for them to add the skin into the game so I can spend money on it.
[00:36:08] They got you on that one.
[00:36:10] You're roped in.
[00:36:11] You were.
[00:36:12] Dude, I already bought the J skin.
[00:36:15] Oh, where he's got like the warped hammer.
[00:36:17] Yeah.
[00:36:18] That's a cool scene.
[00:36:20] He does like the Satsuro Gojo floating on his backwards holding his forehead thing when
[00:36:27] running around.
[00:36:29] It's kind of sick.
[00:36:30] That's pretty funny.
[00:36:32] And then the other character whose design I really loved, which this is not a new thing
[00:36:38] from the first act.
[00:36:40] But I loved Victor's design where he's robed in all white and he's got his staff and he has
[00:36:47] this body that is all purpley and machine-like and also very in tune with the arcane.
[00:36:55] The way that they represent his fusion between human, machine, and magic, it was so seamless.
[00:37:05] The way that they have the magic electricity pour out of the gaps in his skin.
[00:37:10] Yes.
[00:37:11] Yes.
[00:37:11] Yeah, exactly.
[00:37:12] Yeah.
[00:37:12] That shit was sick as fuck.
[00:37:14] Yeah.
[00:37:15] Yeah.
[00:37:15] I'm just always so impressed with the way this show is able to give us a visual on such abstract
[00:37:21] concepts and ideas.
[00:37:25] And nothing that I look at in this show is something where I'm like, oh, I don't know about that
[00:37:31] artistically.
[00:37:32] Every artistic choice they make, I feel, is always on point.
[00:37:37] Yeah, well done and intentional.
[00:37:39] It's so good.
[00:37:40] Yeah.
[00:37:41] Yeah.
[00:37:42] Richard, what are your art thoughts on this season?
[00:37:46] My art thoughts on this season?
[00:37:48] Well, all of the Victor stuff I thought was great.
[00:37:51] Just everything relating to him.
[00:37:53] I think that, I don't know what to call it.
[00:37:55] I call it a spirit realm.
[00:37:56] The thing where he was trying to fix Vander shit.
[00:37:59] He's trying to heal through the Warwick mindscape, right?
[00:38:03] Yeah.
[00:38:03] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:38:04] When he's trying to heal him through that, I thought that that art was just beautiful.
[00:38:09] You've got the red, you know, like the Warwick faces and psyche fighting back against his
[00:38:18] attempts to heal.
[00:38:20] And I think that Victor's design obviously is, like Aaron said, it's just incredible.
[00:38:27] Yeah, I agree with that.
[00:38:31] Yeah, I don't really have much more to say.
[00:38:34] This episode, I'm kind of on the back burner this time around.
[00:38:38] I mean, it's alright.
[00:38:39] I think that we all do agree on a lot of things.
[00:38:43] And I like the explosion at the end of episode six.
[00:38:47] Cool.
[00:38:48] It was cool.
[00:38:48] And like the whole sequence leading up to it was cool as hell.
[00:38:52] I really like the song they put over it too.
[00:38:55] Yeah, the soundtrack in this is...
[00:38:57] It's incredible.
[00:38:58] It's genuinely fire.
[00:39:00] Put it in when we were talking about art.
[00:39:02] But I mean, it is art, like music.
[00:39:04] So I...
[00:39:05] Just the soundtrack as a whole is amazing.
[00:39:08] Especially the intro song, right Chase?
[00:39:10] Don't you love the intro song?
[00:39:12] Oh my enemy!
[00:39:13] The misery.
[00:39:14] Oh wait.
[00:39:15] Yeah, fuck.
[00:39:18] Whoops.
[00:39:20] Yeah, dumbass.
[00:39:21] You're not even an Imagine Dragons fan.
[00:39:23] Everybody wants to be...
[00:39:25] But I'm sorry.
[00:39:28] Yeah, you should be sorry.
[00:39:30] The one...
[00:39:31] Actually, now that I remember, the one thing that I disagree with Aaron on the hot takes
[00:39:35] is that his favorite character is Matty.
[00:39:38] Matty Nolan.
[00:39:41] Did I...
[00:39:41] I don't think I ever said she was my favorite character.
[00:39:44] You said she was your favorite character in all of Arcane.
[00:39:48] Oh, is that what I said?
[00:39:49] That she was my favorite character in all of Arcane?
[00:39:51] I could go into an hour-long tirade about why I hate Matty in this season.
[00:39:57] Or just in general, but...
[00:39:58] No, I'll get on to my art thoughts even though you're just lying now.
[00:40:02] Yeah, please do.
[00:40:05] I really liked how they did the Warwick slash Vander POV.
[00:40:10] Like the all red and different art style.
[00:40:12] When he's like chasing down singed blood scent.
[00:40:17] I thought that was really sick.
[00:40:19] I thought that was like a really interesting way to animate that and really entertaining.
[00:40:24] And then another thing kind of related to Warwick is I really liked the like sound activated
[00:40:30] light up fungus in the tunnels.
[00:40:33] Where they have to like...
[00:40:34] Where Isha, Vi, and Jinx are tracking down Warwick in the mines.
[00:40:39] And they're clapping to like illuminate the space.
[00:40:42] I thought that was really well done.
[00:40:44] The bioluminescent mushrooms were really...
[00:40:48] I thought those were really neat.
[00:40:49] I also loved when Jinx ate one and was like,
[00:40:51] I don't think they're poisonous.
[00:40:54] Yep.
[00:40:55] You gotta test everything out on yourself.
[00:40:57] Why are you editing my paragraph that I'm about to read?
[00:41:01] Who?
[00:41:03] I'm not editing it.
[00:41:04] I don't know who anonymous python is.
[00:41:07] My thing is just like hovering over it.
[00:41:10] I'm not editing it.
[00:41:12] Once again, trying to sabotage the podcast.
[00:41:14] Oh, I actually did just edit it.
[00:41:15] Oopsie.
[00:41:15] On the last one, he did edit it and I caught it before getting to it and I had to delete it.
[00:41:21] What are you talking about?
[00:41:23] You're fucking lying.
[00:41:24] You're not Mr. Me when I'm with your mom.
[00:41:26] Yeah, I saw that buddy.
[00:41:28] You're not slick.
[00:41:29] You're not fucking slick.
[00:41:31] You dumbass.
[00:41:32] I am slick.
[00:41:33] I am slick idiot.
[00:41:35] You're not J-slick though.
[00:41:38] All right.
[00:41:38] Any more things we want to touch on before we get into how we feel?
[00:41:42] Just that I think that I hate Maddie in this season almost as much as I hated Marcus in season one.
[00:41:50] Why are you lying again?
[00:41:52] You said Maddie's your favorite, Marcus is your second favorite, and Salo is your third favorite.
[00:41:58] I'm going to set your bed on fire.
[00:42:03] Wow.
[00:42:05] Wow.
[00:42:05] Okay.
[00:42:07] Unbelievable that you're being rude to Chase for no reason.
[00:42:10] He's just making sure you know who your favorite characters are.
[00:42:13] Thanks for helping me keep track.
[00:42:14] Now, get into how you feel before I burn your sheets to a crisp.
[00:42:18] All right.
[00:42:19] Aaron kind of stole the thunder on some of the stuff I wanted to talk about here, but what a fucking piece of shit.
[00:42:27] That's what they all do.
[00:42:29] And I edited the whole paragraph to be completely different.
[00:42:35] Yeah.
[00:42:36] Oh, my God.
[00:42:37] The mockery.
[00:42:38] We do not stand for mockery on this podcast.
[00:42:41] I'm trying to speak.
[00:42:43] My voice is more important than yours.
[00:42:45] You should mute yourself when you speak.
[00:42:47] You should mute yourself.
[00:42:49] No.
[00:42:49] All right.
[00:42:50] I think that act one does a great job at setting this act up.
[00:42:56] I think all of the characters have so much pull and the growth we see within the main cast and their main supporting characters is just such a joy on screen.
[00:43:09] I think Jinx's character arc is just masterful.
[00:43:13] And this series also does an amazing job with foreshadowing.
[00:43:17] We see tactical errors from Mbessa and set up by the fact that I forget the name of the cat lady that does the shimmer painting on Sallow.
[00:43:28] But I kind of talked about it last episode when she's like Mbessa's back into a corner.
[00:43:33] We see Mel going over with her assistant.
[00:43:37] Like, why is Mbessa making these miscalculations?
[00:43:41] What is going on?
[00:43:42] And among other things, such as the Warwick character reveal, I feel like that was...
[00:43:47] If you watch the show and go back and rewatch season one, I think season one and the first episode of season two...
[00:43:55] Or not first episode, first act.
[00:43:57] Does a fairly good job hinting at what's going on.
[00:44:00] And once again, having seen the show completely, I do want to make sure that, especially in the how we feel section, I'm giving more of a microscope on act two and previous parts of the show.
[00:44:16] So up until act two.
[00:44:18] So I'm just gonna say a few little things before I go to Aaron.
[00:44:23] I think that with the exception of Isha's death and a few other peaks of this act, I think this is the weaker of the two acts so far.
[00:44:34] Aaron tried to steal my thunder on this.
[00:44:36] I'm gonna keep saying that.
[00:44:37] I'm gonna keep claiming this because this kind of pisses me off.
[00:44:40] I should have not fucking said anything.
[00:44:43] I should have left my paragraph out of the doc so he couldn't copy my fucking shit.
[00:44:48] What a piece of duck is...
[00:44:50] I still can't believe you tried to bring that all the way up at the review start, you asshole.
[00:44:59] Yeah, so I think this is the weaker of the two acts in season two.
[00:45:04] My memory's not fresh enough on season one to be able to compare the quality narrative and story-wise.
[00:45:14] Oh my god.
[00:45:15] Good job, bud.
[00:45:17] It's a hard word, I know.
[00:45:24] I'm gonna give Chase priority speaker and that way he can...
[00:45:27] I think every time Richard talks, I think about shooting him in the head.
[00:45:36] It's so fair, though.
[00:45:38] Good to know you didn't talk too much this episode.
[00:45:40] You should eat a handful of dish soap or something.
[00:45:44] I was just gonna eat a grenade, but alright.
[00:45:47] Put my hand on the blade for you.
[00:45:50] Sorry.
[00:45:51] There's a lot of singing in this episode.
[00:45:52] Yeah, I'm just a really musical guy.
[00:45:55] What can I say?
[00:45:57] Me personally, I'm just a whimsical guy.
[00:46:00] Shut the fuck up!
[00:46:01] Alright.
[00:46:02] I do think this is the weaker of the season two acts for sure.
[00:46:06] Of the two acts we've seen so far.
[00:46:08] However, I still greatly enjoyed it and think it's basically peak television.
[00:46:15] I can't name another show this year that came close to as enjoyable as this one.
[00:46:21] And I do think that season two has some of the best character arcs we've seen in this show as a whole.
[00:46:30] But yeah, I'll go to Aaron now.
[00:46:34] But yeah, I agree with what Chase said, especially about the character arcs in this season.
[00:46:38] Because honestly, I can't remember the last time that I watched a show that had characters that were this well written and developed and had an arc that was as good as they are in this show.
[00:46:50] They just know what they want to do with the characters and they excel at it.
[00:46:55] So I would say it's one of the strongest points of this show.
[00:46:58] It continues to be one of the strongest points of this show.
[00:47:00] In my opinion, this arc is a really great midpoint for the second season.
[00:47:05] It does a really great job of setting up the emotional stakes for the sisters, which will ultimately bring them back together.
[00:47:11] Richard, you want to interject?
[00:47:14] Yeah, just about the well written characters thing.
[00:47:17] You know what you should watch?
[00:47:18] If you tell me Hunter, Hunter.
[00:47:20] Fucking Attack on Titan.
[00:47:20] Okay.
[00:47:21] I didn't say Hunter, Hunter.
[00:47:22] I didn't say Hunter, Hunter.
[00:47:23] Shut up.
[00:47:24] Idiot.
[00:47:25] Attack on Titan.
[00:47:27] I'll get to it when I watch every episode of the news.
[00:47:32] But...
[00:47:33] You're actually...
[00:47:34] If you ever say that in front of me again, Aaron, I'm actually gonna punch you in your face.
[00:47:41] Listeners, I said that about this show for a long time before I actually watched it.
[00:47:45] We saw Vi have a genuine hatred for Jinx at the end of season one, and it was almost like she was mourning the death of her sister.
[00:47:56] But now we've got the two reunited, and I really think...
[00:48:00] I like the fact that Jinx is staying as Jinx.
[00:48:03] She's not reverting back to Powder.
[00:48:05] She's gone through life changes that are irreversible, and moving forward, she can't just go back to being Powder.
[00:48:13] That's not who she is anymore.
[00:48:14] She can't be that person anymore.
[00:48:16] She's been through too much.
[00:48:17] And so seeing her evolve as a character, rather than trying to have her regress back to basically the child that we knew,
[00:48:26] I think that that's a really fantastic way of representing how a real person grows and changes.
[00:48:35] But yeah, all the character work done in this arc is fantastic, and...
[00:48:39] My only real complaint about the character work done in this season that knocks it down a few notches compared to the other acts...
[00:48:48] I feel like there's a lot of characters that are kind of missing from the main story.
[00:48:54] I feel like Jace and Mel echo Heimerdinger.
[00:49:00] They're not very present in these three episodes, which is fine because they get some great episodes later on,
[00:49:06] but it did feel weird that they were almost completely missing from this act,
[00:49:11] and I thought that it felt like a big hole in the story.
[00:49:15] It didn't ruin it for me.
[00:49:17] I still thought that it was a fantastic batch of episodes,
[00:49:20] but for all of those reasons and for my couple of complaints that I mentioned earlier,
[00:49:25] I will have to agree with Jace's point that I stole from him,
[00:49:31] which is that this is the weakest of the arcs in the series.
[00:49:34] Overall, great, but having seen the entire series,
[00:49:37] definitely will say it's the weakest of a truly great show.
[00:49:39] I think that's a really good way to describe it.
[00:49:44] I mean, obviously that's what it is,
[00:49:46] but I think it does a good job at being what it's supposed to be.
[00:49:49] It continues the story in a great way.
[00:49:53] It sets up for a big reveal, big moment for the last three episodes of the series, obviously.
[00:50:02] I think that it does a good job keeping the viewers interested
[00:50:06] and having big reveals and big moments in this act,
[00:50:11] but it doesn't give away anything that would be like,
[00:50:15] well, I know what the show is now.
[00:50:18] Like, I know what the series is now.
[00:50:21] I've enjoyed the most important part of the story.
[00:50:24] Richard, after you finished, or after you finish your sort of final thoughts,
[00:50:30] I do have a question to ask you specifically.
[00:50:33] So, after you're done with it.
[00:50:35] Oh boy, buddy's giving me homework after I'm done talking.
[00:50:39] Act 2 is a phenomenal setup for Act 3, in my opinion.
[00:50:42] I have yet to watch Act 3, so keep that in mind.
[00:50:46] But there's a lot of plot lines that are, you know,
[00:50:49] obviously they're going to come to an end soon,
[00:50:51] and it looks like there's just, there's going to be some big stuff coming.
[00:50:54] We have Jinx and Vi teaming up again.
[00:50:57] The fallout of Jace's actions is going to be interesting.
[00:51:01] And the potential death, I mean, I don't really think so,
[00:51:04] now that I'm like, I don't know.
[00:51:06] I don't think that Vander slash Warwick is dead after that big-ass explosion,
[00:51:12] but it was cool.
[00:51:15] I don't know, I'm excited to see what's going on after that.
[00:51:20] Then we have Caitlin and Vi's relationship was interesting.
[00:51:23] And honestly, I would just like for them to get together
[00:51:26] before someone fucking dies horribly.
[00:51:29] You know, writers love to do shit like that,
[00:51:32] and I hate writers who do that.
[00:51:35] Fucking evil. Evil as hell.
[00:51:37] But, like I said, I think it's a great setup,
[00:51:40] but in my opinion, it's the weakest act of season two.
[00:51:44] I'm excited to see, though, where act three takes us.
[00:51:48] I agree with everything you've said.
[00:51:50] That was a good wrap-up.
[00:51:53] Richard, since you're the only one of the three of us
[00:51:56] who hasn't seen act three,
[00:51:58] I'm curious about what do you think is going to happen in act three?
[00:52:02] Where do you see the story going?
[00:52:04] I really would love to give you an answer,
[00:52:07] but I just don't know, bro.
[00:52:08] What are your thoughts on Jason Victor at the end of act two?
[00:52:13] Is this the Jace war?
[00:52:15] What?
[00:52:16] Is this what...
[00:52:17] Chase, I think, knows what I'm talking about.
[00:52:19] Do you know what I'm talking about, Chase?
[00:52:21] I'm not talking about the fucking stupid meme bullshit right now.
[00:52:24] Oh, thank God.
[00:52:24] I'm talking about, like, what do you think, like...
[00:52:28] What is your interpretation of what happened at the end of act two, episode three?
[00:52:34] Or episode six, sorry.
[00:52:36] I think that somehow that silly-ass corrupted hammer infused Victor with even more power,
[00:52:43] almost like not recharging him, but definitely doing something,
[00:52:47] and it's going to have an effect on his powers.
[00:52:49] I don't think he's dead.
[00:52:51] I think he's just going to...
[00:52:54] Either his power is going to get more, like, corrupted,
[00:52:57] or it's going to become more...
[00:53:00] Or he maybe just becomes stronger.
[00:53:01] I don't really know.
[00:53:04] Okay.
[00:53:04] In the words of 21 Pilots,
[00:53:07] his body's on the line now.
[00:53:09] I thought you were going to say,
[00:53:10] I wish you could turn back time.
[00:53:12] No, I was going to go with Victor's 21 Pilots.
[00:53:15] Yeah, that's probably a better reference.
[00:53:20] Yeah.
[00:53:21] Okay, and what do you think about, like, his whole commune turning into zombies
[00:53:26] once he got, like, fucking chest blasted?
[00:53:29] I think that he's still going to have control over them in some way,
[00:53:35] but he's going to be corrupted now by whatever the hell...
[00:53:41] that hammered, like, the corrupted hammer did to him.
[00:53:44] Okay.
[00:53:45] And I have another question.
[00:53:47] What do you think happened with Jace
[00:53:49] that caused him to, like, turn into Tweaker Town?
[00:53:53] He was in, like, an alternate dimension.
[00:53:55] I don't know.
[00:53:56] Maybe he saw some eldritch abominations
[00:53:58] that made him go a little bit crazy,
[00:54:01] a little bit goofy.
[00:54:02] But clearly he was in there for a while
[00:54:04] because he comes back, like, a full...
[00:54:06] Maybe not a full beard, but a beard.
[00:54:09] And clearly some shit's happened to him.
[00:54:12] I think he was in, like, a time-dilated reality or dimension
[00:54:16] or whatever you want to call it.
[00:54:18] And that he was maybe fighting against stuff
[00:54:21] that had to do with Victor's actions.
[00:54:24] I will say about Victor,
[00:54:26] the Victor question about, like,
[00:54:28] what's going on with his followers
[00:54:31] turning into basically zombies after he gets shot.
[00:54:35] I interpreted that when I first watched it
[00:54:37] as anyone who was joining Victor's Commune
[00:54:41] was essentially, even before they become, like,
[00:54:45] the zombies and floating up in the air or whatever,
[00:54:47] I... yeah, I was interpreting that
[00:54:49] as everyone he ever healed
[00:54:50] was basically being controlled by him
[00:54:53] in some kind of hive mind situation.
[00:54:55] Even though it seemed like they had
[00:54:57] some sort of autonomy
[00:54:58] when you saw them, like, greeting Vi and Poud...
[00:55:02] or Vi and Jinx and Warwick into the community,
[00:55:05] I think that that was all just Victor
[00:55:08] kind of puppeteering everyone.
[00:55:10] That's... I...
[00:55:11] that's exactly how I felt about that, too.
[00:55:14] So, I think that's all I have
[00:55:17] in terms of thoughts on this season.
[00:55:19] What about you guys?
[00:55:19] Or on this set of episodes?
[00:55:21] What about you guys?
[00:55:21] That's all I got.
[00:55:22] Yeah, I think we're gonna have
[00:55:25] surely a lot to say next episode
[00:55:27] when we're going over the whole season
[00:55:28] and the whole show in its entirety.
[00:55:31] Chase, you want to take us into our outro?
[00:55:34] All right, everyone.
[00:55:36] I think that is all we have for today's episode.
[00:55:40] So, thank you for joining us
[00:55:43] and we hope you tune in again.
[00:55:45] Yeah.
[00:55:46] Thank you guys for listening.
[00:55:47] I did promise a quick rundown
[00:55:49] of our new Patreon
[00:55:50] at the beginning of the podcast.
[00:55:51] So, if you've stuck around this long,
[00:55:53] I just want to let you know
[00:55:55] what's going on with that.
[00:55:56] This is something that for now
[00:55:57] is going to be relatively inexpensive
[00:55:59] and is going to be a good way
[00:56:01] to get early and ad-free content
[00:56:03] out to our subscribers
[00:56:04] as well as some additional benefits
[00:56:06] for the higher tiers.
[00:56:08] I'll give you guys a quick rundown
[00:56:09] of the current tiers we have.
[00:56:11] Our $3 a month tier
[00:56:12] is going to be our Chatterbox tier
[00:56:14] which includes ad-free episodes
[00:56:16] and is also going to include
[00:56:18] exclusive Fallout lore episodes.
[00:56:21] And that'll be available,
[00:56:22] these two benefits will be available
[00:56:24] at every tier of the Patreon.
[00:56:26] Our second tier is going to be $5 a month
[00:56:28] which is our Yapper tier.
[00:56:30] This tier is for the fantastic folks
[00:56:32] who want to support us a little bit extra
[00:56:34] and get certain early content,
[00:56:36] get early and ad-free versions
[00:56:37] of all Radioactive Ramblings podcasts.
[00:56:39] So, previous benefits
[00:56:41] in addition to early access.
[00:56:43] And also,
[00:56:45] our Studio Ghibli content
[00:56:46] starting next month
[00:56:49] is going to be coming out
[00:56:50] a month early
[00:56:51] because that's our monthly podcast.
[00:56:53] It'll be a month early
[00:56:54] for Patreon subscribers
[00:56:56] at this tier
[00:56:56] and at our highest tier
[00:56:58] which is
[00:56:59] the Rambler tier.
[00:57:01] For $10 a month,
[00:57:03] this tier is for the most dedicated
[00:57:05] Radioactive Ramblings fans
[00:57:06] who want to support the show
[00:57:07] and kind of help us
[00:57:09] to keep the lights on
[00:57:10] and all of that.
[00:57:12] So, get early ad-free versions
[00:57:13] of all Radioactive Ramblings podcasts,
[00:57:15] exclusive content,
[00:57:16] and more.
[00:57:17] So,
[00:57:18] all of the previous stuff,
[00:57:20] you get ad-free episodes,
[00:57:21] early access,
[00:57:22] Fallout lore,
[00:57:24] and the one-month early access
[00:57:25] to Ghibli content.
[00:57:27] And, in addition,
[00:57:29] you will get a member shout-out.
[00:57:31] So, at the end of every podcast,
[00:57:33] if you are a subscriber
[00:57:34] to the Rambler tier,
[00:57:35] you will be getting
[00:57:36] a shout-out by name
[00:57:38] in each and every outro.
[00:57:41] I just wanted to mention
[00:57:43] something about our Patreon
[00:57:44] and our podcast in general.
[00:57:46] I don't know
[00:57:47] if you guys know this.
[00:57:49] I'm sure it's evident
[00:57:50] we do this podcast
[00:57:51] as a hobby.
[00:57:52] This is not
[00:57:53] a real source of income
[00:57:55] for us.
[00:57:55] We don't
[00:57:57] ever really plan on it
[00:57:58] being that way.
[00:57:59] We just really want to
[00:58:01] introduce the Patreon
[00:58:02] as a way
[00:58:03] to
[00:58:05] keep ourselves
[00:58:06] accountable
[00:58:07] we think that
[00:58:08] if there are people
[00:58:09] paying for our content
[00:58:11] that
[00:58:11] we're going to be more
[00:58:12] on schedule about things.
[00:58:14] We're going to
[00:58:15] be more on top of
[00:58:16] getting the content out,
[00:58:18] getting it more quality.
[00:58:19] And also because
[00:58:20] Aaron does
[00:58:21] all of
[00:58:22] the editing
[00:58:23] for our podcast.
[00:58:24] He devotes a lot
[00:58:25] of time
[00:58:26] towards editing.
[00:58:27] For every hour
[00:58:28] we record,
[00:58:28] he has to spend
[00:58:29] double that time
[00:58:31] editing.
[00:58:32] And we've
[00:58:33] taken a lot of
[00:58:34] projects on recently.
[00:58:35] Aaron spends a lot
[00:58:36] of time weekly
[00:58:37] editing our podcasts
[00:58:38] to make sure you guys
[00:58:39] have some content
[00:58:40] to enjoy.
[00:58:41] And he pays
[00:58:43] for our editing
[00:58:44] or his editing
[00:58:45] software
[00:58:45] that he uses
[00:58:47] out of pocket.
[00:58:48] So
[00:58:49] even though we're
[00:58:50] doing this as a hobby,
[00:58:51] Aaron is paying
[00:58:52] money,
[00:58:53] real money
[00:58:53] that
[00:58:55] comes out of
[00:58:56] his pocket
[00:58:56] to
[00:58:57] bring everyone
[00:58:58] this content
[00:58:59] and to
[00:59:00] bring us all
[00:59:01] onto this podcast
[00:59:02] and just yap.
[00:59:03] So it would be
[00:59:04] nice for anyone
[00:59:05] who can afford
[00:59:06] to help us out
[00:59:08] or help Aaron
[00:59:09] out for the most
[00:59:09] part,
[00:59:10] but us too
[00:59:10] so we could
[00:59:11] get some better
[00:59:12] mics.
[00:59:13] We've had some
[00:59:13] mic issues.
[00:59:14] Aaron actually
[00:59:15] just had a mic
[00:59:16] issue.
[00:59:16] That's why we had
[00:59:18] a technical issue.
[00:59:19] My mic
[00:59:19] completely disconnected
[00:59:20] from my computer.
[00:59:22] I know Aaron
[00:59:23] went over the
[00:59:24] memberships a little
[00:59:25] bit,
[00:59:25] but there's
[00:59:25] actually one more
[00:59:26] thing that we did
[00:59:27] add,
[00:59:28] and that is
[00:59:29] a coverage
[00:59:30] commission.
[00:59:30] It is $25.
[00:59:32] You guys can
[00:59:33] suggest a show
[00:59:35] or a movie,
[00:59:36] and we will cover
[00:59:37] them within a
[00:59:39] month of purchase.
[00:59:40] For the show,
[00:59:41] we will cover
[00:59:43] minimum first
[00:59:44] three episodes.
[00:59:45] If we don't
[00:59:48] really think
[00:59:49] the coverage is
[00:59:51] that interesting,
[00:59:51] we're not going
[00:59:52] to continue with
[00:59:53] it for the
[00:59:54] movie.
[00:59:55] We'll watch
[00:59:57] the whole thing
[00:59:58] even if we don't
[00:59:59] like the movie,
[00:59:59] but there is
[01:00:00] a disclaimer.
[01:00:01] If we think
[01:00:02] that your
[01:00:02] suggestion is
[01:00:04] inappropriate or
[01:00:05] unfit for the
[01:00:06] podcast,
[01:00:06] we do reserve
[01:00:07] the right to
[01:00:08] deny the
[01:00:09] request and
[01:00:10] issue a refund.
[01:00:11] So,
[01:00:13] obviously,
[01:00:13] don't hit us
[01:00:14] with a troll
[01:00:14] request,
[01:00:15] guys.
[01:00:16] Come on.
[01:00:18] Yeah,
[01:00:18] and obviously,
[01:00:19] it's most
[01:00:21] things that you
[01:00:21] guys would be
[01:00:22] suggesting are
[01:00:23] obviously within
[01:00:24] reason.
[01:00:25] We don't expect
[01:00:25] to be denying
[01:00:26] anything,
[01:00:27] but in the
[01:00:28] rare event
[01:00:29] that that
[01:00:29] might happen,
[01:00:30] you will,
[01:00:31] of course,
[01:00:31] get your
[01:00:31] money back.
[01:00:32] We're not
[01:00:32] going to eat
[01:00:33] your $25
[01:00:35] and not
[01:00:36] cover what
[01:00:37] you suggest,
[01:00:38] but we just
[01:00:40] want to let
[01:00:40] you guys know
[01:00:41] that we will
[01:00:41] reserve that
[01:00:42] right if we
[01:00:43] think that the
[01:00:44] suggestion is
[01:00:44] something too
[01:00:46] out of our
[01:00:47] wheelhouse or
[01:00:48] not appropriate
[01:00:49] for the kind
[01:00:50] of content we
[01:00:51] want to make.
[01:00:51] So,
[01:00:52] I know this
[01:00:53] is a little
[01:00:54] of a jump
[01:00:55] scare spiel
[01:00:57] that I gave
[01:00:57] for Aaron
[01:00:58] and Richard,
[01:00:58] but I just
[01:01:00] wanted to let
[01:01:00] you all know
[01:01:00] Aaron's pulling
[01:01:02] the strings.
[01:01:03] He's really
[01:01:04] putting his
[01:01:04] back into
[01:01:05] it.
[01:01:06] I appreciate
[01:01:07] the kind
[01:01:08] words,
[01:01:08] and I,
[01:01:09] of course,
[01:01:10] love doing
[01:01:10] all of this,
[01:01:11] otherwise I
[01:01:11] wouldn't be
[01:01:12] doing it,
[01:01:13] but for sure
[01:01:14] having our
[01:01:15] overhead
[01:01:16] expenses covered
[01:01:17] and maybe
[01:01:18] being able to
[01:01:19] reinvest a little
[01:01:20] bit into the
[01:01:20] podcast,
[01:01:21] because that's
[01:01:21] really what we
[01:01:21] want to do.
[01:01:22] We're not
[01:01:22] trying to make
[01:01:24] this a source
[01:01:24] of income for
[01:01:25] ourselves at
[01:01:26] this point.
[01:01:26] We would really
[01:01:27] just like to
[01:01:27] buy some better
[01:01:28] equipment and
[01:01:30] all of that,
[01:01:31] so this could
[01:01:32] make it all
[01:01:32] possible,
[01:01:33] and we
[01:01:35] appreciate all
[01:01:35] of you who
[01:01:36] are listening,
[01:01:36] of course,
[01:01:37] and any
[01:01:39] extra support
[01:01:40] is very
[01:01:41] welcome,
[01:01:41] and if you're
[01:01:42] not in a place
[01:01:43] to support us
[01:01:44] on the Patreon,
[01:01:45] we love that
[01:01:46] you all are
[01:01:46] listening to us,
[01:01:47] and we want
[01:01:48] you guys to be
[01:01:49] just as much
[01:01:49] a part of the
[01:01:50] community as our
[01:01:51] Patreon subscribers
[01:01:52] will be.
[01:01:54] Yeah, and
[01:01:54] obviously we're
[01:01:55] going to try and
[01:01:56] keep a lot of
[01:01:57] our content
[01:01:57] easy, free
[01:01:59] access.
[01:02:00] There will be
[01:02:01] obviously exclusive
[01:02:02] membership content
[01:02:03] that you can sign
[01:02:04] up for, but we
[01:02:05] do want to be
[01:02:06] fairly free
[01:02:07] friendly, and
[01:02:09] of course, no
[01:02:10] matter how much
[01:02:10] money we get
[01:02:11] from this, Richard
[01:02:12] will always sound
[01:02:12] like shit, so
[01:02:13] bear that in
[01:02:14] mind.
[01:02:16] Well, that's
[01:02:16] just who he is,
[01:02:17] so.
[01:02:17] Yeah.
[01:02:18] Well, I'm not
[01:02:18] getting any cuts.
[01:02:19] I don't deserve
[01:02:20] any cuts.
[01:02:21] Okay.
[01:02:22] Well, before we
[01:02:23] let you guys go,
[01:02:25] I would like to
[01:02:25] give a quick shout
[01:02:26] out to all of the
[01:02:27] other podcasts in
[01:02:28] the network, and
[01:02:29] first and foremost,
[01:02:30] I want to give a
[01:02:31] shout out to the
[01:02:32] ones who make all
[01:02:32] of this possible,
[01:02:33] our parent podcast,
[01:02:35] The Lorehounds.
[01:02:35] They've got some
[01:02:36] great coverage going
[01:02:37] on right now for
[01:02:38] Dune Prophecy,
[01:02:40] and Marilyn and
[01:02:41] John.
[01:02:45] It's Marilyn and
[01:02:45] John, who are
[01:02:46] going to be doing
[01:02:47] a quick recap of
[01:02:49] the first two
[01:02:50] episodes of the
[01:02:51] new Star Wars
[01:02:51] show Skeleton
[01:02:52] Crew.
[01:02:53] I recently watched
[01:02:54] the first two
[01:02:54] episodes, and I
[01:02:55] thought that they
[01:02:55] were very good, so
[01:02:56] tune in for that.
[01:02:58] Also in the network
[01:02:59] are excellent
[01:02:59] podcasts like
[01:03:00] Wool Shift Dust.
[01:03:02] Alicia and her
[01:03:03] co-host Luke are
[01:03:04] going to be covering
[01:03:05] the second season of
[01:03:06] Dune, or not of
[01:03:07] Dune, I'm so sorry,
[01:03:08] of Silo.
[01:03:09] I think I made that
[01:03:10] mistake last time too.
[01:03:11] I've got Dune on the
[01:03:11] brain.
[01:03:12] But they're going to
[01:03:13] be covering the
[01:03:13] second season of
[01:03:14] Silo, which is so
[01:03:16] fantastic so far.
[01:03:17] They've got early
[01:03:18] screeners, so they
[01:03:19] have episodes coming
[01:03:20] out as soon as the
[01:03:21] episodes drop on
[01:03:22] Apple TV+.
[01:03:24] Also, Alicia has
[01:03:25] her Star Wars Canon
[01:03:26] Timeline podcast.
[01:03:27] Marilyn has Rings
[01:03:29] and Rituals along
[01:03:30] with her co-host Dr.
[01:03:31] Sarah Brown.
[01:03:32] Properly Howard Movie
[01:03:33] Review is in its new
[01:03:34] season where Anthony
[01:03:36] and Steve cover movies
[01:03:37] and rate them on a
[01:03:38] scale of better or
[01:03:39] worse than a Ron
[01:03:39] Howard movie.
[01:03:40] And last but certainly
[01:03:42] not least, we have
[01:03:43] the newest affiliate
[01:03:44] in the network,
[01:03:45] Nevermind the Music.
[01:03:46] Mark and Nicole are
[01:03:47] going strong on their
[01:03:49] first season of
[01:03:49] podcasting.
[01:03:50] They're super
[01:03:51] entertaining and they
[01:03:53] make their music
[01:03:53] podcast very accessible
[01:03:54] to folks like me who
[01:03:56] know absolutely nothing
[01:03:57] about the music
[01:03:58] industry.
[01:03:59] So, links for all of
[01:04:00] that info, how to get
[01:04:01] a hold of us, and our
[01:04:03] new Patreon info is going
[01:04:05] to all be in the show
[01:04:06] notes.
[01:04:06] So, thank you all for
[01:04:08] listening and we will
[01:04:10] see you guys on the
[01:04:11] other side of the
[01:04:12] Hexgate.